by Amy Saunders
Belinda and Colleen locked eyes, a wicked glint in both of theirs. For a strange moment, Belinda felt like they understood each other perfectly.
"Did you ever tell Elena?" Belinda said.
"No. I'd forgotten all about it, to be honest."
"Do you think she could have stumbled on it, like you did?"
Isabel shook her head. "Not in a regular cleaning. I only found it 'cause everything was moved out of the way.
"Does any of this help?" Isabel's eyes were big and pleading–the way Elena's had looked.
"It will," Belinda said. "I promise."
"We've been misdirected," Belinda said as they hurried from Isabel's. "I've had tunnel vision with the drug company nonsense. I was convinced that had to be why Elena was killed. Even if Christina does work for the drug company and knew Elena was watching her, I still don't think Christina killed her."
"You might be right," Colleen said. "Christina seems as blind as we are. But if it's not her, who is it?"
Belinda wrinkled her nose in thought. "We need to backtrack. I heard Christina tell Roy he was more trouble than he was worth. I think she brought him on board to help her work faster, but it sounded like he was just a nuisance."
"How did you hear that?"
"I spied on him at his hotel."
Belinda thought Colleen looked jealous to be left out of that action.
"Anyhow," Belinda continued as they piled back into her car, "Christina sounded opposed to Roy's exploits, though not in so many words. I don't think she was helping him with the thefts, but I do think she knew about them."
Colleen nodded. "Roy still could've gotten the keys and codes from Christina, even if she didn't like what he was doing."
"True. But Elena caught him on camera using a key to get into the back of the office on his own. Only four people have keys into the office, and just three of them to the cabinet of house keys. But only one of those people had both office keys, access to all the security codes, and knew about the secret compartment in the Stephens' home."
A big smile spread on Colleen's face. "The manager of Portside House Cleaning–Carolyn Hartley." She shook her head in frustration. "I bet she planted the safe in the secret compartment, and tipped off Christina and me. Probably hoping Christina would eliminate me, and end up taking the fall for the whole thing. But how did Hartley know about the drug company research?"
"Isabel told us she felt like someone else was watching Elena. Once I knew about Christina's association with Roy, I was convinced it was her. But it could have been someone else with a lot to lose. Someone who was suspicious one of her employees was on to her."
Colleen nodded in agreement. "Elena met with me. That could have made Carolyn suspicious."
"Plus, Carolyn knew the Wolmans and Stephens, and had probably heard all the weird rumors about them. Maybe she just did her research and put the pieces together."
Belinda handed her phone to Colleen to call Jonas while she drove. Colleen studied his number for a second, like calling him was a foreign concept she needed to digest. "I ditched the phone I used to contact Elena."
Belinda had guessed she'd done that. "Okay. Why?"
"Because someone broke into my home and used it to get Elena to the Wolman's house–and then she was murdered. I didn't even see Elena's original text that she needed to meet until after. She sounded like she'd found something big."
"Like about her boss working with a thief to steal from her clients."
"Something like that."
Belinda drove back to the first logical place to find Carolyn, the Portside House Cleaning office. Carolyn was in her car in the back lot, and started to back out of her parking space when Belinda pulled her rental right up behind her, blocking her way.
Carolyn got out, huffing and puffing. "What is this? Move out of my way!"
Belinda and Colleen stepped out, which made her even more frazzled and confused. Carolyn brushed her bangs to the side, trying to gain composure. "Ms. Kittridge and...and…Ms. McGuire. How can I help you both?"
"You seem in a hurry," Belinda said.
"I'm late for an appointment. If there's something you need, my receptionist can help you out. Or, if you need to talk to me, I'll be in the office again tomorrow morning."
"We do need to talk to you." Belinda took a couple steps forward, then stopped, deciding it was better to keep a little distance. "It's about Elena Campos."
"That again." Carolyn exhaled. "That will get cleared up soon, I'm sure. Now, if you'll please excuse me–"
"It will get cleared up," Belinda said. "Because we know you killed her."
Carolyn stared at both of them like they were crazy. "You think I did what? That's absurd. What reason would I have to kill that poor girl?"
"She learned you were the one stealing from clients."
Carolyn gaped. "That's...that's preposterous."
"Is it?" Belinda folded her arms. "Elena caught Roy Labonte, a known felon, using a key to get into the back entrance. The police know he was doing the actual stealing, but it's also clear someone from the inside was helping him. From what you told me, you're in the perfect position to be that person."
Colleen stared hard at Carolyn. "How did you meet Roy?"
Carolyn was frozen in place, her eyes darting from Belinda to Colleen. "This is ridiculous." She didn't sound convinced.
"Roy has been arrested," Belinda said. "He's tied to the thefts and the drive-by, and he has a record. How long will it take for his lawyer to realize he's better off giving you away?"
Carolyn's eyes looked like a trapped animal, and she started backing toward her car door. Belinda was afraid to make any sudden moves, and she dearly wished she hadn't left the Taser in the car.
"I caught that man in my office," Carolyn said, "breaking into the key cabinet. I knew he was the thief that was causing all the problems, making us lose clients."
"Did you make a deal with him?" Colleen said, taking a step forward. Belinda wanted to yank her back, but was afraid to with Carolyn so edgy.
"I told him I could make his job easier," Carolyn said, inching back, "for a percentage. A small percentage. Just enough to have something extra."
"But Elena was looking for the thief," Belinda ventured.
"Some of the girls complained they felt she was stalking them." Carolyn sounded out of breath. "One caught her snooping through someone's bag. But I wasn't worried at first. I was so careful."
"She still found out," Belinda said cautiously. They needed to stall her long enough for the police to get there. She figured Jonas must be close…
"It had to have been Roy," Carolyn said. "Elena knew about him because she was following Christina."
"And you were following Elena," Colleen added.
Carolyn nodded. "That's how I found out Christina knew Roy, though she didn't seem to be helping him steal. At first, I thought I was safe because Elena seemed to think Christina was the thief. But that must've led her to follow Roy..." She looked like she was still trying to work that out.
"And Roy led Elena to you," Belinda said. It made sense. Elena caught Roy using the back entrance. If she was paying attention, then Elena knew only a few people had keys to that door. By process of elimination, Elena probably came to the same conclusion they had. It was Carolyn Hartley.
Carolyn swallowed. "When I called Elena to come into the office to talk, it was like she knew I was going to fire her. She told me, though not in so many words, that she was going to expose what I was doing. I had to do something."
Colleen's eyes were fiery. "You had Roy break into my house to contact Elena, didn't you?"
Carolyn gazed out beyond them. "He knew how you contacted Elena. Roy never said how, but I suspect it was because of Christina. I didn't say who, but I told him I was afraid one of the girls suspected me."
"So he sent the message to Elena to meet at the Wolman's house." Belinda fought to stay calm. In all likelihood, Elena went planning to tell Colleen everything she knew. "Then you
met her there and killed her, and planted jewelry on her from the spoils, hoping she'd take the blame for the thefts."
"Only none of it quite looked right," Colleen said, "and killing her didn't take the heat off the company–or you."
"Then Roy didn't help by breaking into my house," Belinda said with satisfaction, "and getting caught."
Carolyn shook her head, irritation crossing her face. "I thought...I hoped...if nothing else things might point to Roy, or Christina. Roy had let it slip that they were here for something to do with the Wolmans. Spying on them or something."
"Is that what gave you the idea to do a drive-by?" Belinda said. "To distract everyone from the real problem?"
"Gary Wolman was always at that fundraiser." Carolyn brushed her bangs aside as they blew into her eyes. "I assumed you would be there, too." She looked at Colleen.
Sadly, her idea had worked for a while.
"As a final effort," Belinda said, "you what? Tricked Colleen and Christina into going to the Stephens' home, leading them to believe what they'd been looking for was in that safe?"
"I didn't know what they wanted to find, but I took a chance that hinting, and leaving the rest to their imaginations, would be enough." Carolyn stared straight at Belinda. "It could've worked."
Belinda realized what was about to happen, but couldn't stop it.
Carolyn bolted into the driver's seat and pressed on the gas, hurtling right for them. Belinda pushed Colleen one way, but there was no time to save herself.
At the moment she saw her short, rather eventful, existence flash before her eyes, another car flew into the parking lot, ramming Carolyn's sedan right into the Dumpster.
Once Belinda's head cleared enough to register what had happened, she forced her weak legs to move. It was Bennett's little black car.
She got around to his side and opened the door. Bennett's eyes were closed, and his head lolled against the back of the seat. He'd slammed into the back of Carolyn's car, and his front end was smashed up, the bumper dangling off on one side.
Bennett's eyelids fluttered finally and he blinked to focus. Belinda kissed his forehead, then his cheek, then his lips. "My hero."
"Being your hero is expensive. My insurance is going to cost a mint now."
Jonas' car, with a single strobe light stuck on the side of the roof, finally pulled into the lot. He got out, yelling orders into his phone. He stopped to assess the three problems. Colleen had pushed herself up from the pavement and brushed gravel from her palms; Belinda watched over Bennett in his car; and Carolyn sat in a daze.
Jonas herded Colleen toward them, and both women starting telling the story at once, until Jonas calmed them down and got it in order, from the top.
"It's not just the company in trouble," he said. "Carolyn's finances are a mess, and she was in danger of losing her job. She had some reasons to plunder and kill."
"Wasn't her job in danger after she started working with Roy?" Belinda said. She'd crouched next to Bennett, rubbing his shoulder. His right hand was in pain.
"Not quite." Jonas slipped a glance in Carolyn's direction, under guard by the police who came after him while they waited for the ambulances. "The owners tell us Elena was not the first person to slip into the company without a background check. They cut Carolyn some slack before because she was in the middle of a divorce. They figured it was just an honest oversight. But after the complaint about Elena, they were starting to rethink that."
Jonas bent down to get a good look at Bennett. "The things we do for the people who drive us crazy."
What felt like the entire police force and most of the paramedics in town came as he finished his sentence. Bennett and Carolyn were taken to the hospital in ambulances–Carolyn cuffed to her gurney and escorted by two police officers. Jonas, with more officers, combed the building and Carolyn's car. They found a gun hidden in her trunk that was bagged and carried away to compare to the bullets that killed Elena.
Colleen and Belinda stood by her car at a distance, just observing the parade.
Colleen looked disgusted with herself. "All Carolyn Hartley had to was dangle a big, fake carrot in front of me. If you hadn't showed up, Christina would've killed me."
Belinda figured that was as close to a thanks as she'd get. "That just shows Christina was desperate for something, too, and just as willing to jump on it, no matter how improbable. Carolyn really didn't have to do much to misguide us. We were misguiding ourselves, ignoring the obvious."
"Like?"
"Well, the fact that Elena had jewelry planted on her after she was killed. It came across like a plant, which should have led to the conclusion that the real thief was trying to pass it off on Elena. But I was determined that it was meant to mislead us, when all the time it actually pointed right at the motivation to kill Elena."
"It was too simple." Colleen shrugged. "The whole idea of it just being theft was too easy for us."
"Besides that, Roy kind of ruined it by coming to my house. After that, I was more convinced Elena was not the thief. But I was also more uncertain that the murder had anything to do with theft." Belinda leaned back on the car, staring at the building, but thinking about all that had transpired. "I don't think Roy was a good choice of partner. He doesn't seem too bright."
Colleen laughed. "That's the lesson you've learned from all this? If you're going to commit crimes, choose smarter associates?"
Belinda cracked a smile. "It doesn't hurt. I was actually thinking the real lesson here is don't blackmail people to get them to do your dirty work for you." She made a point of looking directly at Colleen as she said it.
"I get it." Colleen held up her hands in surrender, but her gaze went to Jonas, talking to one of his officers.
Belinda wasn't sure Colleen did get it, because she had a feeling this was an old habit that Jonas may have been all too familiar with. She thought about the dirt she had on Colleen–that she'd hidden something her family was involved in. That wouldn't look too good in her career. Belinda could pull that out now, and use it against Colleen in case she had any ideas about exposing Bennett's retirement story. Technically, Belinda had not helped her achieve her ultimate goal. But watching Colleen look over at Jonas with regret in her eyes, Belinda felt sorry for her. Maybe Belinda's angry thoughts of annihilation were a bit harsh.
"You could apologize," Belinda said, waking Colleen back up. "I don't know that it will completely change things, but it would be a start."
Colleen shifted uncomfortably, her hair falling out of its bun and blowing across her face. "You should probably get to the hospital. I don't live far from here, and I could use a walk."
"It's just a suggestion."
Colleen smiled. "Thank you. I'll think about it." At least she sounded sincere.
Belinda watched Colleen head off toward home, hands in her pockets, head bent low. It made Belinda feel guilty for all the hateful thoughts she'd had about her.
Belinda caught Jonas' eyes and he grinned and waved. On the other hand, Colleen did cause a lot of unnecessary grief. And in Belinda's TBO (totally biased opinion), Jonas was too good for her.
Chapter 18
After all that had happened, it was a weird feeling to be back at the inn, just up the street from where it all started.
Once Bennett was released from the hospital, Belinda spent her time nursing him. He had a concussion and a broken finger, and Belinda made him stay in bed and watch TV while she took care of him. Despite mild protests, he seemed to like it.
Christina was being charged with assault with a weapon, but they hadn't found any evidence connecting her to the drug company, or to any of the other crimes committed in recent history. Jonas hinted that any leads they did find related to the drug company would probably be shut down. Money and power. Belinda supposed that wasn't surprising. If Christina was working for that company, they'd ensure she couldn't be tied back to them no matter what.
In his best interests, Roy had admitted Carolyn was his accomplice in the the
fts. Jonas promised Belinda could get her cameo pendant back soon. In the meantime, she'd fired Portside House Cleaning, and had no interest in hiring any cleaning company ever again.
Finally, Carolyn's gun matched the one used to kill Elena, and she was being charged with Elena's murder.
Life had a way of catching up to you.
But now that Elena's murder investigation was coming to a close, Belinda had come back to the inn to deal with the grandmother.
Belinda found her lounging in a white Adirondack chair on the lawn of the inn, where the wedding had taken place a million years ago.
Belinda knew how to counteract her grandmother's assault on Bennett, though the whole thing felt pretty insignificant put in perspective. Her plan was risky, but she wanted this settled, and now.
Her grandmother sipped an iced tea, lost in admiration of the sea before her. Or so Belinda thought.
"Are you going to sit down," her grandmother said without moving, "or just stare at the back of my head all day?"
Belinda had stopped a few feet behind her grandmother, contemplating how she could possibly be related to this woman.
"Have you come to give me good news about you and that security guard?" Her grandmother stared straight ahead at the water, her kimono sleeves blowing up around her arms.
Belinda knew she said that to get a rise out of her, and ignored it. "We're not discussing that subject anymore." Belinda took the seat next to her grandmother. The breeze was a refreshing change from the sticky inland weather.
"And why is that?"
"Because unless Bennett's charges are dropped, I'll confess, and then you'll have a much messier PR problem to sort out."
"Confess to what?" her grandmother said incredulously.
Belinda had thought long and hard about this, and concluded this was the one way she could win. She'd do whatever she had to to save Bennett from a worse situation. But this could prevent any of that from happening in the first place.
Belinda glanced around her. "He saved me from getting caught. It was my mess, and he sorted it out and took a fall so I wouldn't have to. Hurt him, and I go straight to the police."